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Fifth Cycle
Fifth Cycle is a role-play on The True Mirror. Fifth Cycle takes place in Ireland, in the fictional Conn University and the nearby town of Conn. The story revolves around Soulformers, human beings who have unlocked the power of their souls and use them to battle creatures called Fragments. Its name is a reference to the Four Mythological Cycles of Ireland, and as such refers to itself as the fifth. Fifth Cycle was the brainchild of Seraphim Swordmaster and Ranna. After the latter called for a role-play similar to the Persona games, Seraphim came up with the concepts that would eventually result in the RP's current form. Although Seraphim is generally regarded as the one in charge of the story, by his own admission Ranna and Cudpug play a great, often overlooked, role in helping to develop and organise it. It is regarded as a mixture of action, dark fantasy and urban fantasy, and is very mature in its subject matter: dealing with Darwinian Selection, drug abuse, sexuality and the idea of life after death. As such, it is not intended for younger members of the forum. Its choice of subjects and the way it deals with them have garnered praise and criticism alike. Warning: This page contains unmarked spoilers. Plot Fifth Cycle revolves primarily around Turin O'Dwyer, a second-year student of Conn University. Turin later discovers the existence of a mysterious time known as Overclock, a twenty-fifth hour that takes place between Sunday and Monday of each week. During this time, he finds himself able to assume the form of a monstrous wolf that allows him to fight against shadowy creatures called Fragments. Turin later discovers that he is a Soulformer, and that he not the only one who possesses this power, and there are two societies in his university dedicated to helping Soulformers realise their full potential. One of them is the Spirit Society, the modern-day version of an ancient order of Soulformers. The other is the Quislings, renegade Soulformers who follow a loose hierarchy and swear allegiance to a mysterious masked figure known only as "The King". As the truth behind the this mysterious figure's identity is revealed, Turin and his allies are drawn into a greater conflict that threatens the existence of all physical and spiritual life. Autumn Arc The first "season" of Fifth Cycle takes place in the Autumn Term. It begins with Turin and many others awakening to their spiritual power for the first time, whereby they are taken under the wing of the Spirit Society. Among the other new Soulformers are Hazel Griffith, Judith Haringway and Spencer Hicks. As the group learns how to use their supernatural powers, the Spirit Society's relationship with the Quislings deteriorates. The accepted, if unspoken, truce between the two factions changes suddenly when The King is found dead. Stephen Tamora, a professor at Conn University and a prominent Soulformer, proclaims himself to be the assassin and declares war on the Spirit Society. This event splits the Quislings down the middle and causes a civil war, with one side following Stephen and the other following another Soulformer by the name of Anna Carr. For a time, the Spirit Society is unsure on how to react to the war, but their stance changes after Stephen's Quislings launch an attack on their group in broad daylight. In the midst of all this, the Spirit Society President, Cynthine Morrigan, begins a relationship with Spencer, abandoning her duties as the society's leader to be with him. When this is brought forth by Anna, she is dishonoured and cast out from the group, and the Spirit Society enters the war, fighting with Anna's group against Stephen's forces. Following her disgrace, Cynthine resolves to make amends by trying to find some way to return to the peaceful time, but is eventually confronted and killed during the Battle of Conn University, where the Spirit Society is utterly defeated by Stephen's Quislings and betrayed by their Vice-President, Daniel Serras, who reveals himself as the mastermind behind all of the events up until now. Daniel reveals his grand plan to create a world of Soulformer-Fragment hybrids, beings which he believes would be outside the influence of an unknown "higher power". Stating the war to be a necessity, since he needed to filter out the strong Soulformers (who would survive the transformation) from the weak, he forces Judith to use her power to manipulate the physical and spiritual properties of matter on him, exponentially amplifying his Soulform's telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Before the process can be completed, however, the Spirit Society Administrator Kishor attacks him, interrupting the event and resulting in Daniel's powers only half-forming. Daniel and Stephen escape to the Fragment world of Sacuro, mocking the Spirit Society with the knowledge that it will only be a few months until Daniel's powers finish taking on their advanced states. Spring Arc The second part of the Fifth Cycle story takes place after the Christmas Holidays, with a group of incomplete Soulformer-Fragment hybrids called "Pedazo" appearing to attack the inhabitants of the human world. During the battle against them, Turin is injured and protected by Keith, who had been presumed dead since the Autumn Term. Following this attack, the Soulformers are currently preparing for Daniel's next move. Characters Main Protagonists ;Turin O'Dwyer : Age: 21 : Turin is a second-year student of Conn, and the protagonist of the story. He is mostly serious and firm, and has a tendency to get into fights, but his frequent acts of helping others indicate that he has a hidden compassionate side. Despite working alongside the Spirit Society for much of the story, Turin is not officially affiliated with either side, which gives him the freedom to pursue his own goals and pick his own fights. During the Autumn Arc he found a rival in the Quisling, Andrew Ichijin, and the two have been bitter enemies for much of the story. Turin's Soulform is an Expanded type: a wolf-like being that exponentially increases his strength and agility. Due to its frightening appearance, it has been regarded on many occasions as evil. As of the current story arc, he has begun to develop a Fragment form which occasionally takes control of him during Overclock. ;Hazel Griffith : Age: 19 : Hazel is a first-year student of Conn and Turin's girlfriend. She is a bright, cheery and sociable young girl who cares very much for Turin's well-being. Like her boyfriend, she is not officially affiliated with either side as of yet. A perceptive and intelligent young woman, Hazel is capable of picking up on things that many of her Soulformer friends are oblivious to. During the Autumn Arc, she was shot and wounded by Andrew, causing Turin to attack the Clayson violently in retaliation. She has since recovered from the bullet wound and is preparing for the upcoming battle against Daniel. Her Soulform is an Altered type, and takes the form of an archer with rabbit ears, black markings across her skin, and a black dress. ;Judith Haringway : Age: 18 : Judith is a timid young woman who rarely speaks, instead observing her friends and surroundings for the most part. A devout Catholic, Judith always tries to do what is right and pure, something that she has recently begun to find difficult with her newfound, hidden feelings for Turin. Her innocent and reserved nature, as well as her unshakable faith, mean that her friends often see her as an odd person, which resulted in her becoming distant from the other members of the group. This eventually resulted in her being isolated and captured by Andrew. Her Soulform was an Altered type, appearing as a valkyrie in blue armour that could effortlessly alter the properties of physical and spiritual matter, but after she was brought before Daniel he forced her to use that power to amplify his own. Most of her spiritual power was lost off in the aftermath, although Qed and his subordinates have helped her to recover the ability to be active during Overclock. Spirit Society The Spirit Society is a group of Soulformers dedicated to training others how to use their abilities to combat Fragments to protect those without the power of their souls. The Spirit Society is led by a President and Vice-President, and below them are the Four Administrators (the four strongest members of the Society) and the Treasurer. ;Cynthine Morrigan : Age: 22 : Cynthine was the President of the Spirit Society. Initially portrayed as a strong-willed and independent woman, Cynthine is later revealed to be vulnerable and overemotional as a result of her guilt over causing the death of Tristan, her first love, something that she buried deep down and hid behind her powerful persona. Her weaknesses were taken advantage of by Spencer, who used her as little more than a sexual tool. When their relationship became public, Cynthine was thrown out of the Spirit Society. Resolving to make amends, she began to look into the causes of the war in order to find some means of stopping it, but she was ultimately confronted and killed by Anna. Her Altered-type Soulform was a pure fire-elemental, capable of manipulating and creating flames at will, as well as able to telekinetically move anything her fire touched. She was the first character in the story to reveal Judgement, a second stage of the Soulform that explosively increased ones power. Specifically, hers involved summoning red, serpentine dragon. ;Andrè Alceste : Age: 21 : Andrè is one of the Spirit Society's Four Administrators. He is a relatively cold person of Spanish descent who speaks in a very formal and condescending manner. He comes from a rich background, and his distant attitude was what led Yesugei to mistake him as the traitor to the group. It was revealed towards the end of the Autumn Arc that he had a young relative who was wounded in Stephen's attack on the society. His Soulformer is an Altered type, and takes the form of an angel-like being in armour. Its special ability is the power to control the classical elements of water, fire, earth and air. He seems to be most proficient with the latter, and has also revealed the ability to combine his elemental powers to create additional effects, such as ice and lightning. His Judgement form enhances his elemental power further, sacrificing the defensive properties of his Soulform for a massive increase to his offensive abilities. ;Yesugei Khan : Age: 23 : Yesugei Kahn is one of the Spirit Society's Four Administrators, and is in charge of their combat operations and teaching new members how to fight. He is a mostly boisterous man who is always eager to fight. It has been Unlike the other members of the Spirit Society, Yesugei cannot properly structure his spiritual power, and so he does not possess an actual Soulform. Instead, he gains an explosive increase to his physical abilities. This increase in power is so great that it allows him to fight on the same level as the other Administrators despite him lacking any special abilities. However, recent events have hinted that this may just be a cover-up, and he may actually have a parasitic Soulform, something that is looked down upon in the Spirit Society. ;Kishor Rangan : Age: 22 : Kishor is one of the Spirit Society's Four Administrators. He is an Indian by birth, and is described as Yesugei's only real friend. He cares very much for those around him, and is visibly hurt when Daniel reveals his betrayal. His Soulform allows him to create blades of wind, which he uses to carve out shapes in the ground to create various effects, from stripping an area of oxygen to incinerating the atmosphere within a given area. Severiano commented that he is the closest thing that the Spirit Society has to a true leader since the death of Cynthine. ;Sun Ren : Age: 22 : Sun Ren is one of the Spirit Society's Four Administrators. A young Chinese woman whose family moved to Oxford, England while she was still very young. Growing up in prestigious private schools, she has developed a strong British accent, which Yesugei seems to find amusing. Her name is taken Sun Shangxian's name in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Her Soulform was recently revealed to give her the power to manipulate light at will, reshaping it and using it to move around at will. It is a Compressed type, trading external physical changes for refined spiritual power. It has been implied by Daniel that she can also use a Judgement, although its form has yet to be revealed. ;Maredudd Owain : Age: 23 : Maredudd is the Treasurer of the Spirit Society. He is a short and portly Welshman, and is stated by Yesugei genius of maths and science. He is extremely perceptive and analytical, as shown by his speculations after the ambush in Lóegaire Forest. His Soulform has yet to be revealed. Quislings The Quislings are a group of rebellious Soulformers who rejected the Spirit Society and struck out on their own. Unlike the Spirit Society, they have no coherent structure of rank or authority, instead preferring a loose-knit organisation, pledging their loyalty only to The King. Since his death, the Quislings have been engaged in civil war with one another. ;Anna Carr : Age: 22 : Anna Carr is a Quisling who displayed great loyalty and trust in The King while he was still alive. Since his apparent death, she has effectively become the leader of the Quislings, fighting against the splinter faction led by Stephen Tamora. Unlike many Quislings, she is rather open and considerate. She fiercely protective of Kate, with whom she is involved in a romantic relationship with, and holds a grudge against Cynthine, who she blames for the death of her brother, Tristan. She eventually killed Cynthine during a recent duel. She has an Expanded-type Soulform. It is a two-headed being that resembles the Egyptian deity Basetet. In this form, she has the ability to absorb the attacks of others and release them with some of her own energy. She is also capable of absorbing pieces of the environment around her to use in a similar way. Since Anna has to absorb an attack first that there is a limit to how much she can absorb, as shown when she was unable to absorb a hundred fireballs from Cynthine. Since she possessed enough spiritual strength to defeat Cynthine in her Judgement state using only her Soulform, it is safe to assume that Anna is among the most powerful Soulformers in the story. ;Kate Harlow : Age: 21 : Kate is Anna's mysterious young lover, identified instantly by her red eyes. Normally quite calm and reserved, Kate's personality becomes somewhat more cheerful when she is around Anna. She supports her girlfriend's battle against Stephen Tamora, although she does not share the same dedication to The King as Anna did, as shown from her suspicions towards him and horror at his requests to turn human beings into Fragments with her power. As well as changing living beings into Fragments, Kate also possess the power to control them, as shown when she causes a Nyx-class Fragment to retreat. Her Soulform itself, however, has yet to be revealed. ;WIngs Rashean : Age: 24 : Wings Rashean was a Quisling and Spencer's flatmate for the first part of the story. A former member of the Spirit Society, Wings joined the Quislings before the start of the current term. He displayed an extremely arrogant and even somewhat sexist nature until he was attacked and left paralysed by The King. Since then, he has not been seen or heard from by anyone. His Soulform was an Altered-type fire-elemental, like Cynthine's, although its nature and appearance were much more twisted. It was recently revealed that Wings has been dead for some time, and that his body was used to substitute that of The King, setting the war in motion. Main Antagonists Renegade Soulformers ;Daniel Serras : Age: 21 : Daniel Serras is the Vice-President of the Spirit Society. He appears to have an emotional link with Cynthine, as she has been seen turning to him for advice and verbal comfort prior to meeting Spencer. With Cynthine in a state of near-madness, Daniel has begun to organise the Spirit Society in her stead. He is seen as a very bookish young man, but nevertheless commands a great deal of respect from the society's members. It was recently revealed that he had been working with Anna and Stephen to cause the war, and that The King was an alter ego of his designed to gain the loyalty of the Quislings. His ultimate goal is to create a world of Soulformer-Fragment hybrids, believing that they will be outside the influence of the unnamed "higher power". His Soulform is a Compressed type that he calls "the White Magician". It grants him telepathic and telekinetic abilities, talents that have been enhanced by Judith's powers. As of the current story arc, the increases made by Judith have begun to finalise, allowing him to create hybrids called Pedazo. ;Stephen Tamora : Age: 35 : Stephen Tamora is a Professor at Conn University, and also a powerful Soulformer. He appears to have knowledge of everything that befalls both sides, and is currently leading a group of rebel Quislings against those loyal to Anna. His Soulform is a great lion, and as one would expect it is particularly well-suited for direct combat. As of the most recent story arc, his appearance has become more sinister and his actions more aggressive, and it was also revealed that Andrew is his subordinate. He seemed to oppose The King while he was still alive, and was believed by many to be his assassin until recently, when it was revealed that The King had faked his own death by using Wings as a substitute. His Expanded Soulform is a great lion with exceptional physical strength. Diamantes ;Santher Bekart : Santher Bekart is a Diamante, one of the twelve strongest Pedazo in existence. He is a muscular man with thick grey hair, whose Evershadow remains take the form of a large diagonal scar on his chest. He is as strong as he is bloodthirsty, and it is only because of his great physical might that he was not put down as a failed experiment. He detests how he is looked down upon due to his flawed intelligence, and is always eager to fight powerful opponents to prove his worth. He wears a pair of metal gauntlets on his arms, and it is hinted that his power may be stored within them. Pedazo ;Severiano : Severiano is a Pedazo who attacked Conn University with Arri. He is about six feet tall in height, and has glacier-blue eyes with lizard-like pupils. His Evershadow remains take the form of an "X" shaped scar across his face, which accentuates his eyes. He is a cold and calculating Pedazo who appears to hold a lot of authority over the others. Although he is rarely seen fighting, he is highly analytical and extremely intelligent. ;Arri : Arri is the first Pedazo seen in Fifth Cycle. He is a large, muscular being with tanned skin, bushy black-brown hair and small, dark eyes. At around seven feet tall, Arri is the tallest character in the series yet. His Evershadow remains are in his mouth, making it appear as if dark fire is coming from it every time he speaks. He is a particularly brutal character who has little, if any compassion, and is also extremely boisterous. ;Lagast : Lagast is a Pedazo in Daniel's army, and a member of the Special Forces. He states that his power was great enough for him to be considered for a Diamante position, and proves this by overpowering Andrè until the Soulformer is forced to reveal his Judgement form. It is from him that most of the information regarding the Pedazo Fragments is learned. His power was sealed into the form of a rapier, and his Soulform, Caelum, allowed him to grow numerous armoured appendages, all of which wielded lances. His Evershadow remains took the form of a horizontal scar beneath his eyes. ;Raman : Raman is a Pedazo in Daniel's army, and was part of the team that attacked Conn with Santher and Lagast. He was a very arrogant individual with bright-blonde hair and scratch-like Evershadow marks on each cheek. His Soulform, Canes Venatici, is the only one to be named in the story thus far, and allowed him to manipulate fire. Using this power, he created a small legion of flame-wolves which followed his orders in battle until he was defeated by Yesugei. ;Hues : Hues is a large Pedazo in Daniel's army who accompanied Santher, Lagast, Raman, and a few other, unnamed Pedazo, to the human world. He was a large, quiet man who wielded an oversized mace. His Soulform, Camelopardalis, took the form of a large, skeletal giraffe-like being. One of its special abilities was the power to fire multiple Sombra blasts at once. However, he was defeated alongside his companion, Raman, by Yesugei before the full extent of his power could be seen. Others ;Qed : Age: Unknown : Qed is a talking black cat who apparently possesses a form of omniscience, being able to know instinctively what actions the Soulformers are taking. Recently, he has also demonstrated a form of teleportation. He serves as something of a mentor figure to the Spirit Society, who refer to him as their "lord", and Turin's group. The true nature of his powers and abilities, however, remains unknown. His name is an alternate version "Q.E.D.", an abbreviation of the Latin Phrase quod erat demonstrandum, which is written at the end of philosophical arguments to indicate the completion of their point. What significance it holds in relation to his being, however, is unknown. ; Señor Love : Age: Unknown : Señor Love is a giant of a man with orange skin and blonde hair who always appears naked. He is always very calm and reserved, and always appears to be deep in thought, which contrasts greatly with his appearance. He teaches Turin's group how to access their Soulforms by challenging them with his own, which covers much of his body with blue and gold armour and gives him an unusual flail that resembles a headless tiger attached to a tree-trunk that he effortlessly holds in one hand. The significance behind his name is unknown. ; Unlucky Number Five : Age: Late 20's~Early 30's : Unlucky Number Five is an eccentric man who builds new machines for Qed, taking human technologies and adapting them to work on spiritual planes. He is often seen smoking strange red leaves from a large didgeridoo-like object called "the Dreambucket", which can also be used as a weapon during Overclock. This apparently restores his senses temporarily, which were lost for an unknown reason. Much like Señor Love, the significance behind his name is unknown. Although he has spiritual power, enough to destroy an incomplete Pedazo with no visible effort (something not even Anna could manage), it is unknown whether he has an actual Soulform or not. ;Spencer Hicks : Age: 19 : Spencer is the son of Justin Hayes, a member of the fictional band "Legion". A musician like his father, Spencer is also an extremely loud and arrogant drug user. As flirtatious as he is manipulative, Spencer has made more women than he can remember fall in love with him, and was involved in a sexual relationship with both Cynthine and another student named Alison for some time. He also had his eye on Hazel and Judith until he decided to turn over a new leaf and pursue a romance purely with Alison. For much of the story, Spencer believed that he was unable to use his Soulform, but Qed later revealed that his was a Compressed type. Specifically, Spencer's powers amplify the feelings of those around him, both positive and negative. It is this power that resulted in Cynthine's lustful behaviour towards him, and it is hinted that it was also responsible for Turin's increased aggression towards Andrew and Judith's continued isolation. At the end of the Autumn Arc, Spencer asked Qed to seal his spiritual power, allowing him to live a normal life, and returned home to America. ;Andrew Ichijin : Age: 19 : Andrew is a Clayson, part of a clan of spiritually-aware humans who manifest their power as swords. Like most of his clan, he has a hatred for Soulformers that is a direct result of their centuries of fighting. He is an extremely arrogant young man of Irish and Japanese descent who always speaks to others in a condescending manner. Rude and snide, he has recently developed a fierce rivalry with Turin, whom he attacks at every opportunity. Andrew is regarded as a dangerous opponent by Turin's party because of his supply of portable Darkboxes, devices that allow him to induce Overclock for a brief period of time. He was used by Daniel and Stephen to distract the Spirit Society from any flaws in the former's plan. His whereabouts after Daniel's betrayal are unknown. ;Keith Redstone : Age: 20 : Keith Redstone is a member of the Rompecabezas, a group of Soulformers who have crossed over the boundary between their kind and Fragments to obtain the powers of both. A former member of the Spirit Society who protected Turin and Hazel while their spiritual power was still infantile, Keith changed after being wounded by a Fragment. He vanished and was presumed dead by the society, but since the start of the Spring Arc he has returned and has begun attending lectures at Conn University. His Soulform is an Altered type, giving him a Mexican wrestling mask and a Japanese sword. Any special techniques that it may possess have not been revealed. Like all of his kind, he possesses the ability to change into a Fragment form, which his manifesting as a black armour on his arm, chest and face. This form vastly enhances his strength, speed and endurance, as shown from how he was able to survive falling out of a building several stories high with the armour activated. Category:TTM Role-Plays Category:Projects by Ranna Category:Projects by Seraphim Swordmaster Category:Projects by Cudpug